You Know Your Organization is Changing When the Owner Speaks at a Sabermetrics Conference

Sure, it took a little time for the Mark Cuban desire to wear off, but, once things settled, I decided that I was pleased to have a family of Cubs fans owning the team. If I could be glib: rich fans tend to be the best owners. So, I smiled.

But I had no idea. I had no idea Tom Ricketts was going to make Theo Epstein happen. And Jed Hoyer happen. And Jason McLeod happen. And new facilities throughout the organization happen.

I also had no idea that he’d be so into remaking the Cubs into a 21st Century organization that he’d make available all the resources necessary to see that through. And, then, once he’d done it, that he’d be making an appearance at the leading Sabermetrics Conference as a panel speaker. But he is.

Tom Ricketts will be a featured speaker at the 2012 SABR Analytics Conference, held March 15 to 17 in Phoenix. The subject of his talk remains unannounced, and it could be only tangentially related to advanced statistics, but, like, dude: the Cubs’ owner is speaking at a sabermetrics conference. Would that have been fathomable under the previous ownership group? No. Very, very much no.

Things have changed dramatically at Clark and Addison, and almost exclusively for the better. Even if you aren’t into sabermetrics, certainly you recognize that a “big tent” approach to running an organization (i.e., taking into consideration all methods, tools, etc.) is wise. These small stories signal big, good things going on in the Cubs’ organization.

The Cubs’ Director of Professional Scouting, Joe Bohringer, will also be speaking at the conference, for what it’s worth.

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